DOSS vs. LEV vs. Reverb

There is SO much info on each of these posts in their own specific threads, but I'm wondering if anyone has used either two or all three of these posts and can make a comparison. My experience is limited - I got a used Reverb off of craigslist which had some sag from the top position once I sat down on it. I got about 5 rides on it and loved its functionality, and can't see using a regular post, but the sag issue is bothering me. There are some good deals to be had on posts this weekend, and I'm seeking opinions...

Check the pressure in the reverb. It should be 250 psi if I remember right. I have had this issue before with mine and this fixed it. Take the post out and the schraeder valve is on the bottom of the post.
And IMO the reverb is currently the best on the market...and I say this with having 3 fail under warranty. None of them have great reliability. I hope Thompson did their homework and has a post that will be reliable when it releases..and that my current reverb lasts until then.

Sag is not normal on the reverb. If you are interested in getting a deal, fixing what you already have is probably going to be cheaper than getting something new.
Then again, every post on the market has some issues.

When I checked air pressure, it was up around 270. The guy who I bought it from was a clyde - I'm thinking he raised the pressure to compensate for this problem. I have this service kit on the way to see if I can fix it cheap:

Haven't used the Fox, but reviews haven't been great and I have no need of a "mid" position. My buddy has a Reverb and it's nice. I've had three or four different KS posts and all have been superb. I love the small remote that doubles as an inner grip lock. I haven't had issues with any of my KS posts.

Was surprised MTBR didn't put Lev on their "best mountain bike gift ideas" (see this link), especially since they had another in the same price range. I've only ever used a Lev so can't give a comparison to others but can say I've not had any problems and been really happy with the way it works.

I have a Reverb and a LEV, both are 125mm. REverb is about 1 year old and I have had the LEV for 6 months.
They both have performed very nicely, but if I was going to buy one now, it would be a LEV. I just like its lever much better. I am also a light rider and the reverb needs an extra push to go down, doesn't engage while just sitting on it.
LEV doesn't need the butt hop, it goes when the lever is pressed.
And another plus would be the LEV's non moving cable...
But the Reverb can be found cheaper...
Well I would still go for the LEV if I were you.
No experience with the DOSS here...

Have been running a gravity dropper and just got a Lev. The GD was extremely reliable and I've been very happy with it. The Lev, however, takes functionality and finish to new levels for dropper posts. Finally feels like a post that works as well as the other high end components on my bike.

I have a Reverb and a LEV, both are 125mm. REverb is about 1 year old and I have had the LEV for 6 months.
They both have performed very nicely, but if I was going to buy one now, it would be a LEV. I just like its lever much better. I am also a light rider and the reverb needs an extra push to go down, doesn't engage while just sitting on it.
LEV doesn't need the butt hop, it goes when the lever is pressed.
And another plus would be the LEV's non moving cable...
But the Reverb can be found cheaper...
Well I would still go for the LEV if I were you.
No experience with the DOSS here...

The Reverb should not require the extra push. You've got one that needs to go in for service. I have 4 Reverbs at the moment and have run into this exact problem on one. Just an FYI because I'm with you, having to butt hop is super irritating. And yeah, my other Reverbs go down while seated with just the push of the button.

To the OP - Is your Reverb the silver collar version? The "sag" when sitting on it is related to seals failure. This was quite common on the early Reverbs as the walls of the tubes are often not consistent. A full rebuilt will fix it for a while but the sag will typically come back.

The Reverb should not require the extra push. You've got one that needs to go in for service. I have 4 Reverbs at the moment and have run into this exact problem on one. Just an FYI because I'm with you, having to butt hop is super irritating. And yeah, my other Reverbs go down while seated with just the push of the button.

To the OP - Is your Reverb the silver collar version? The "sag" when sitting on it is related to seals failure. This was quite common on the early Reverbs as the walls of the tubes are often not consistent. A full rebuilt will fix it for a while but the sag will typically come back.

Yeah - silver collar here.

I'm leaning towards the Lev for its cable cleanliness and cable actuation. I don't want to have to deal with bleeding, and the performance, from all I've read, seems pretty comparable.

It really depends on what's important to you. There is currently no perfect post on the market. Some features to choose from:

- Cable mounted at post base vs post head
- Mechanical actuation: easy to move between bikes, don't need to mess with bleeding
- Hydraulic actuation: smooth action, no need to maintain cables
- Mechanical locking mechanism: if the spring ever blows you can set the post to any position manually and ride out. Allows having a trail setting
- Hydraulic locking mechanism: allows infinite adjustability (Kronolog is the only mech post that allows this)
- Lever: totally subjective. How ergonomic is it, how durable?
- Reliability: how good is the track record?
- Customer support: these thing are notoriously temperamental, how easy is the manufacturer to work with?

I love my DOSS. I had a Reverb, but broke it. My DOSS really feels sturdy. The sound if it hitting it's desired height just sounds like it's made to last. I've read complaints about the lever. I think it looks fine (once you get used to it) and it works great. You don't need the second lever but it does help in the right situation. I've also read complaints about the lever being hard to actuate. If you just slightly unweight the seat it's super easy to push. I never worry about it, It's really not ever very hard to push (even the inner black lever). Whenever I read those comments, I can't help but think people just like to complain. I mean, we're riding mountain bikes! An inherently difficult sport. So what if you have to push a little harder on the lever. It's the last thing I think about when I go for it in "panic" situations. Usually at that time my mind has much more important things to think about. The size of the lever is great when you need to hit it in a hurry. Kinda hard to miss! I love the cable actuation. It makes cable routing and trimming a snap. The hose on the Reverb really sucks for the same reason. I am very curious about the Thompson, but I'll wait to hear how it performs first...

I'm leaning towards the Lev for its cable cleanliness and cable actuation. I don't want to have to deal with bleeding, and the performance, from all I've read, seems pretty comparable.

Have your LBS call Rockshox, they will probably warranty it. I was in the same boat as you, bought it used then developed the sag problem after about 6 months. I took into my shop to have it sent back and repaired, which I was planning on paying for. When the shop called Rockshox they gave them the serial number off of the post, and RS said no problem we will put a new one in the mail tomorrow. The new one works much better than the old one ever did.

Have your LBS call Rockshox, they will probably warranty it. I was in the same boat as you, bought it used then developed the sag problem after about 6 months. I took into my shop to have it sent back and repaired, which I was planning on paying for. When the shop called Rockshox they gave them the serial number off of the post, and RS said no problem we will put a now one in the mail tomorrow. The now one works much better than the old one ever did.

Interesting bit of info there - filed for just in case. Thank you.
I have a silver collared Reverb - Very early version - as in early first batch.
So far it has been good. I have had a couple of crashes, one bent the hose barb at the remote, the other pulled the hose clean off. A new hose and barb, and a thorough bleed and we are good to go yet again.

I have a DOSS. It's been working very well and I personally find the large lever easy to use under duress. Mine is only about three months old but function has been flawless thus far. After trouble with my own reverb and seeing them give others hassle, the DOSS is the only post I would consider if for some reason I was against buying another Gravity Dropper. I still believe the Gravity Dropper is the post to beat in terms of value and durability. Run it without the boot if you need to keep things stylish.

I'va had the chance to run the Reverb for about a year and loved it, reliable and only bleeded it when new. Only had developed a little play.

But then tried the LEV and won't go back. LEV is so smooth and rock solid, the mechanical cable is much easier than the Reverb and lighter if I can recall, plus the actuator is crazy ergonomic. Beware I've been using the LEV for about 2 months and long term results are still to come.

Thanks for the input, guys. I've taken the advice to see if I can get my Reverb warrantied and my super helpful LBS thinks they can get it done. For now, I'll go with the free route, especially when the differences aren't super pronounced.

I wonder why doesn't GD make a less agricultural remote, and maybe tidy the post/cable interface... A couple of minor refinements to a otherwise sound product would be all that's required to clean-up in the dropper market, esp against daft pricing from KS etc..

I have a LEV on my nomad and a Reverb on my Trans AM. The lever on the LEV can't be beat, the post feels solid as a rock, and I love the cable placement. The only issue I have with it (after only about 140 miles) is the hardware locking down the seat slips a little over time. Just a little locktite and it's been fine. The Reverb has worked really well too. There's a little more play when you hold the bike still and rock it, but it doesn't affect anything while riding. The cable routing means that it has to flex out when the post drops down, which hasn't mattered at all. My biggest concern is the lever/button. Not that it's bad, or doesn't work, it's just not as user friendly as my LEV. At least it's not a beast like the DOSS.

it has a tiny bit of play.. less then 2mm or so but the Giant contact is a great dropper post for the price point. I put 6 months of riding on my last one on a hardtail, had some hard hits and crashes on it and never had any issues. Have another contact on my new rig so i hope the same track record continues with me.

RS reverb is an amazing post even at the price point, but at just over $200.00 i do recommend considering the contact.

as a side note, i was getting a bit of sag. put a drop of lube on the hinges for for the button and issues solved, i think a bit of grit got into it and it wasnt returning to full lock as fast as it should.

I have the black model Reverb love it, no issues after 6 months hard abuse.

I have been recommending to freinds the Lev due to the cable mount at the post, one thing I personally dont like is how the cable routes out of that nice lever on the bar it sticks out like a big arse curve and rests over or under theyre brake levers not good, seems like the only thing that was an after thought, otherwise they have been loving it, only I probably notice the cable. I'm as fussy with they're bikes as mine.

I love the Reverb lever left under side too very clean and protected and natural, hate bar clutter and cable junk.

I wish my HD had internal dropper post routing so I could run a Stealth Reverb guess nothing is perfect

$400..... ouch. I was able to pick one up last week for under $300 shipped. Still, I can't believe I just paid that much for a seatpost. There once was a time that would be the cost of a good wheelset.

I totally agree with the big arse loop of cable on the ks. It's not very clean looking.

Just pushed the buy button on a ks lev. $400 bucks gone ye hah!

I've seen some LEV's installed in a particular way that the loop is very intrusive, but I personally haven't had that problem. I installed the remote so the cable goes between my brake lever and shifters. This forced me to turn the lev remote a little higher on the bars than many people put their actuator, but I've quickly gotten used to it a little higher and my thumb finds it quite easily...the result is, my cable runs along the same lines as the rest of my cables and hoses.

Killed an early silver collared Reverb. Warrantied with a Black Collared one (which I understand is different internally) which has been bulletproof for a year. A bleed every 4 months (literally a 10 minute process) keeps it fast. Don't like the lever much but mounted on the underside of the bar it's okay.

There is SO much info on each of these posts in their own specific threads, but I'm wondering if anyone has used either two or all three of these posts and can make a comparison. My experience is limited - I got a used Reverb off of craigslist which had some sag from the top position once I sat down on it. I got about 5 rides on it and loved its functionality, and can't see using a regular post, but the sag issue is bothering me. There are some good deals to be had on posts this weekend, and I'm seeking opinions...

Thanks!

Bleeding the line and lever won't help that sag you refer too. I've had that issue on my reverb on two separate posts. It was cured with a complete overhaul (which costed me about $100CAD, and was done by Shawn Cruikshank of Fluid Motion in Sqamish BC), which presumably included a proper bleed of the post oil (not the line/lever oil). The first time I had this issue it went through the LBS to Norco Canada, and came back in the same shite condition.

That being said, I like the Reverb better than my LEV. The LEV is great but after every wet ride the lever freeezes up. It takes a lot of force to free the cable, then it works perfectly again. Really bizarre, as it has this quirk EVERY wet ride.

So yeah I have both, and both have their issues. I hope Thompson can have theirs sorted.

With the Reverb be careful not to tighten the seat-post clamp to tightly this will affect the Reverb from going back to full travel and may cause the sag issue referred too.
Try it its easy to test to see if this is your issue.

I prefer the under the bar position the Reverb offers as well its more natural and protected and uncluttered on the bar plus I like the lever myself.

The Levs fixed cable position is definitely a great selling point especially if you don't have internal routing for a Stealth Reverb, I have notice some flex in the 150mm dropper Lev, that would worry me personally, 125mm infinite adj is more than enough for me and stiffer no flex point, I noticed this on a friends ride today, no problem but how will it last on the long run just speculating, I hope it lasts well as I recommended it to him

Either way pros and cons just minor, I think both are awesome and just comes down to what works best for you.

I have the current reverb and have done a lot of mileage on it, still works perfectly, very smooth action, I like the trigger as I have 1x10 and it's mounted under the brake lever protected, but... the one thing that shits me is the moving hose, it doesn't cause issues, it just looks untidy. If I were to buy again I'd buy the lev or stealth reverb for static hose/cable routing.

Bleeding the line and lever won't help that sag you refer too. I've had that issue on my reverb on two separate posts. It was cured with a complete overhaul (which costed me about $100CAD, and was done by Shawn Cruikshank of Fluid Motion in Sqamish BC), which presumably included a proper bleed of the post oil (not the line/lever oil). The first time I had this issue it went through the LBS to Norco Canada, and came back in the same shite condition.

That being said, I like the Reverb better than my LEV. The LEV is great but after every wet ride the lever freeezes up. It takes a lot of force to free the cable, then it works perfectly again. Really bizarre, as it has this quirk EVERY wet ride.

So yeah I have both, and both have their issues. I hope Thompson can have theirs sorted.

Thanks, ukr. I went through my LBS to get it warrantied, and it was "approved and warranty work completed". Sounds like they fixed it, but I'm hoping it's technospeak for "replaced". Wishful thinking, I know, but as long as it works, I'll be happy. Due in on Friday.

I'va had the chance to run the Reverb for about a year and loved it, reliable and only bleeded it when new. Only had developed a little play.

But then tried the LEV and won't go back. LEV is so smooth and rock solid, the mechanical cable is much easier than the Reverb and lighter if I can recall, plus the actuator is crazy ergonomic. Beware I've been using the LEV for about 2 months and long term results are still to come.

Now that you've had some more time on it, do you still like the LEV more?